Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
. _ . . . . . . .
This application is an improvement
of my copending Canadian Patént Application
No. 405,668 filed June 22, 1982.
S BACKGROUND OF THE INV.ENTION
Th~s invention is conce.rned with self-
seallng, valved bags of the general type disclosed
in my copending application, and while embodying
the advantages thereof over the prior art, includes
additional advantages further enhanci.ng reliability
in use under -the most abusive condi-tions.
While the bag construction described
he.rein has been primarily deve:Loped and employed
for use in conkaining explosive gel, and the like,
for detonation thereof, and will be illustrated
and described hereinafter with particular reference
thereto, it is appreciated that the bag is capable
of many varied uses and applicati.ons, all of
which are intended to be comprehended here.in.
20. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an important object of the present
invention to provide a self-sealing, valved bag
of the general type disclosed in said copending
patent application, wherein reliability in use
~5 is even further enhanced by the provision of an
additional self-sealing construction, so that the
instant bags may be subjected even to abusive
handling conditions after loading, without
appreciable loss of contents or internal pressure.
It is a further object of the present
invention to provide a self-sealing valved bag
of the type described in the preceding paragraph
which includes a sealing flap exteriorly of an
outer bag wall and maintained in sealing engage-
ment therewith by internal pressure of the bag.
Other objects of the present invention
will become apparent upon readiny the following
specification and referring to the accompanying
drawinys, which form a material part o~ this
disclosure~
The invention accordingl~ consists in
the features of construction, combinations of
elements, and arrangements of parts, which will
be exemplified in the construction hereinafter
described, and of which -the scope will be
indicated by the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
., . ~.~.. . . .
Figure 1 is a top perspective view
showing a self-sealiny valved bag of the present
invention in its operative condition set for
detonation.
Figure 2 is a plan view of a bag
construction of the present inven-tion in an
extended position and partly broken away to
illustrate interior structure.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view
taken through the bag construction of Figures l
and 2, showing a bag having a pair of contents
receivers, one being illustrated as having been
filled, and the other as having a Eilling conduit
shown in phantom in a Eilling position.
Figure ~ is a sectional elevational
view taken yenerally along the llne 4-4 of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a partial sectional view
lS taken generally along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
. ., _ _ .
Referring now more particularly to the
drawings, and specifically to Figure l thereof, a
valved container of the present invention is there
generally designated 10, being shown in position
for detonation of explosive contents as supported
by the upper end of an upright member or post 11
impaled in and upstanding from a ground surface 12.
The container 10 includes a pair of bags or
receptacles 15 connected together in end-to-end
-3-
: relationshipl as at a connecting region 16, which
connecting region may be supported on the upper
end of post 11 with the pair of bags 15 depending
on opposite sides of the post. The bags 15 may
be substantiaIly identical, so that a detailed
description of one will suffice.
The bags 15 are each fabricated of
flexible sheet material~ such as vinyl, or the
like, being cut into separate sheets and secured
together, as by thermosealed regions or welds,
but may be fabricated of other suitable material
and otherwise secured together.
Each bag 15 may include a pair of
elongate, generally rectangular, and substantially
congruent outer walls 17 and 18, disposed in
facing relation and peripherally secured together
along an outline configwration hy outer wall
securing means 19~ say by thermosealing or welding.
In particular, the outer wall securing means may
include a sealed region or seam 20 extending along
and securing together the ends of outer walls 17
and 18, between opposite side edges thereof, and
a pair of side seals or welds 21 extending in
parallelism with each other from opposite ends of
the end seam 20. The side outer wall securing
--4--
- -
~:~'7~
seams 21 extend from the end seam 20, and are
generally coterminous with the sides of the outer
wall 17, terminating at the end edges 23 of the
outer wall, approximately at points 22, 22.
Interposed between the outer walls 17 and
18 may be an inner wall 25~ which may be of the
same :Elexible sheet mater.ial as the outer walls,
and extend laterally between opposite side edges
of the outer walls/ while spaced from the sealed
end thereof. That is, the inner wall 25 may extend
laterally between and have its opposite side
edges secured to the side seams 21, as :Erom the
points 22 toward and terminating short o:~ the end
seam 20, as at points 26. ~he inner wall 25 is
secured in facing relation with the outer wall 17
by inner wall securing means 27. Specifically, the
inner wall securing means 27 may be constituted
of thermally sealed regions or welds, including a
: pair of sealed portions 28 each extending laterally
inward from respective polnt 22 to leave a central
portion of inner wall edge 23 free. From the
spaced .inner ends of sealed portions 28, there
extend respective sealed portions 29 in generally
convergent relation toward each other and toward
the end seal 20, but -terminating short of each other
~'7~t~S~'~
and the end seal, approximately at the end edge
30 of the inner wall 25. The inner wall securing
means 27 extends from the adjacent ends of seal
portions 29, generally outwardly away from each
other, as at 31, 31 along the inner wall edge 30
; terminating approximately at the points 26 of the
side seams 21.
Thus, the outer wall 17 and the inner
wall 25~ in the region between the inner wall
securing seams 29/ defines a generally convergent
or ~unnel like passageway 32, see Figure 5, when
the wall portion~! are separated from each other.
However, the passageway 32 ls e:Efectivel~ closed
by facing engagement of the portions of outer
wall 17 and inner wall 25 between the seams 29,
when the wall portions are in facing engagement.
Beyond the inner wall securing means
: 27 and points 22, the outer wall 18 is formed with
a laterally coextensive/ generally rectangular
extension 35. Similarly, beyond the seal portions
28 and the outer wall end edge 21/ the inner wall
25 is provided with a laterally coextensive end
extension 36 generally congruent to and in facing
relation with the outer wall extension 35. The
extensions 35 and 36 are secured toyether by
addition?l securing means 37, say comprlsed of a
pair of sealed regions or welds 38, respec~ively
being longitudinal extensions of side seams 21
beyond points 22, and a lateral or end seam 39
extending between the ends of side seams 38. Thus,
it will now be apparent that the additional securing
means 37 serves to close the interior of the
bag 15, as between the inner wall 25 and outer
wall 18, to the exterior of the bag. While the
outer wall securing means 19, by its end seal 20
and side seals 21 serve to close one end o the bag
15, the additional securing means 37 by its end seal
39 and side seals 38 serve to close the other end
of the bag. With the inner wall 25 in facing
engagement with the outer wall 17, and retained in
such facing engagement by internal bag pressure,
the passageway 32 is effectively closed, and the
bag is thereby well sealed.
However, under abusive handling conditions
which may occur in the field, say for example with
filled bags stacked one upon another and transported
by truck over rough terrain, so as to repeatedly
jostle the bags, it is possible that sharp
variations in internal pressure, directions of
orientation and movernent, may permit of slight
~)75~
: seepage from the bag interior to the passageway
32. Should such actlon be long continued, the
contents may seep through and exit from the
passageway 32.
An additional wall or flap 40, say of
generally rectangular configuration and of flexible
sheet material similar to the outer and inner
walls, may be arranged outwardly of and overlying
the inner wall extension 36 and adjacent portion
of the outer wall 17. Speci~ically, the flexible
outer sheet or sealiny flap 40 may be generally
rectangular in con:Eiguration, laterally coextensive
with the outer walls 17 and 18, having one edge
secured to the end edge of inner wall 25, as by
seal 39, and having opposite edges secured to the
inner wall by seals 38, and thence secured to the
side edges of the outer wall 17 by seals 21. The
flap extends longitudinally of the bag 15 from
the end seal 39 to a free edge 41 which overlies
the outer wall 17 and extends between the side
seals 21.
As noted hereinbefore, both bags 15
may be essen-tially identical, and may be secured
toyether in end to end relation at end seam 39.
For manufacturing economy the outer wall extensions
35, 3~ may be integral7 ancl khe inner wall extensions
36, 36 may be integral; and the sealing flaps 40, 40
may be ~ntegral, all securecl by the encl seal 39.
In F.igure 3 the~e is illustrated a bay
fillincJ procedure, wherein a fi.ller tube 45 is
inserted inwardly through the access passat3eway 32,
haviny one end 46 enteriny the interio.r of the bag
betw~en the outer walls :L7 and :L8. Any fluent
material, such as explosive yel, or o-ther, may be
intrc~ducecl through the tube 45 into the bay 15.
be~t s~3n Ln F.igure 5, khe reJlc)n.s or pas.sat3eway
32 ext~r:Lorl~ and aLon~ slcle o e the -Ei:L.Ier tube 45
pclrm:Lt o~ air QSCclpe dur:Lny ~illing to minim:Lze
back pressure :~or raplcl :Eilliny, ancl also -to
L5 minimize resultant internal pressure wi.thin the kacJ
after fil.ling.
As best seen in Figure 3, the sealint3
1ap 40 may be displaced, by Elexure thereof, to
provide a straiy}lt path for insertion of the filler
tube 45 throuyh the straight access passageway
32 and therebe~ond into the bac~.
Removal o.E the Eil.ler tube 45 is shown
on t~le r:ic3ht hand bay 15 o~ F:i.c3ure 3, the contents
~7 remaillincJ in the bacJ and press:iny ayainst the
2S lnternal surface o inner wall 25 to malntain the
~.~'7~
inner wall in sealing engagement with the outer
wall 17 and thereby close and seal the passageway
32.
Futher, air trapped above the contents 47,
between the walls 25 and 18, as well as any air
trapped in the passageway 32 will displace the
overlapped portion of wall 17, adjacent to edge
23, outwardly into sealed facing engagement with
the overlapping portion of flap 40. Thus, the
overlappi.ng, acing engagement of flap 40 with the
nether margin of outer wa:Ll 17, and maintenance
in this sealing engagement by internal pressure,
se.rves to pro~ide a second additional seal in
series with the seal afforded by facing engagement
between inner wall 25 and outer wall 17. These
two sealing actions cooperate with each other, in
that a single jostling or abusive handling procedure
tending to effect seepage through one seal, would
not tend to effect seepage through the other. For
example, if internal pressure were momentarily
released between the inner wall 25 and outer wall
17, as by shifting of pressure away from the end
seam 20 and toward the end seam 39 r such transfer
would enhance the sealing action of the sealing
flap 40.
--10--
While Figure 3 illustrates one bag
filled and the other bag beginning to be filled,
it is appreciated that both bags may be filled
simultaneously. Also, the provision of two bags
15 in end-~o-end relation permits of a highly
stable mountlng on a post, by merely arranging the
bags on opposite sides of the post, with the
connecting portion 16 resting on the upper end
of the post. This container position astride the
post is highly stable, as the centers of gravity
of the respective receptacles are relatively low,
and does not re~uire additional mounting means.
Of course, switable additional mounting means may
be employed, if desired.
From the foregoing, it is seen that the
present invention provides a valved bag with a
sealing flap which fully accomplishes its intended
objects and is otherwise well adapted to meet
practical conditions of manufacture, filling and
use.
Although the present invention has been
described in some detail by way o illustration
and example for purposes of clarity of understanding,
it is understood that certain changes and modifica-
tions may be made within the spirit of the invention.
